1
Franche Community Church, Chestnut Grove, Kidderminster, DY11 5QA
Registered Charity Number 701151
Trustees’ Annual report for the period 1[st] January – 31[st] December 2022
Franche Community Church is registered with the Charity Commission and governed by a Constitution. The Trustees meet monthly to oversee all aspects of the Charity and to receive reports from the Minister, Food Bank Manager, Treasurer and the Chair of the Trustees. During 2022 with the Covid restrictions being removed, we have managed our responsibilities and can report that the Charity has continued in a good position throughout this year.
The continued aim of the Charity is to serve the community in Franche by providing both spiritual and practical help, through support and guidance for its members and anyone within the wider Wyre Forest area of Kidderminster, Bewdley and Stourport-on-Severn in the county of Worcestershire.
We are a Charity seeking to support residents in the Wyre Forest through connecting and communicating with our local community. Our premises are located in the heart of the Franche estate adjacent to Franche Community Primary School. We have continued operating on Tuesday and Friday for the Food Bank distribution of food and bread, and have fully reopened the building for other events as permitted during this year.
Despite the ongoing uncertainty with regards to the cash crisis affecting the country, we are thankful that our regular supporters have managed to maintain their support, and newer supporters (perhaps becoming more socially aware) have risen to the challenges of providing for our extra Food throughout the year.
Given the current trends in donating to charities we are thankful for the support we receive from our members and other contributors, both individuals and organisations that faithfully support our work and the new contributors, both individuals and organisations that have bought into the vision and needs of the Charity.
During 2022, we have received funding from many sources including ‘The Intouch Foundation’, which this year rebranded as ‘Be Global’, the Wyre Forest District Council’s Covid Winter & Summer Relief Funds; WFDC Covid Recovery Grant; Worcestershire County Council’s Covid Relief Fund; the Community Housing Group; local councillors; local churches; local businesses; the Co-op; Monday Night Group; Bewdley repair Café; the Kidderminster Lions; Bewdley & Stourport Rotary clubs; local schools; various Trusts; UK Games Expo; Arnold Clark Community Fund; Grantham Yorke; MB Distribution; and directly from the Lottery Community Fund all of which have helped us significantly with the running of the Food Bank.
The Church is led by the Minister supported by Elders, and they are continuing to develop a wider support team to assist them in the oversight of the growing work. Some of the Elders are also Trustees.
2
Some of those who view Franche Community Church as their church are actively involved and included as volunteers within a wide range of tasks, from simply providing a listening ear, to open advice, food box packers and distributors. We seek to offer support through our connections with various local groups in Franche, Marlpool and Habberley, and with County, District, and Town Councillors, Council Officers and the Community Housing Officers, working with those in social and private rental properties.
Our Minister also seeks to pray and offer spiritual support (through the joy, hope and the blessing of the Christian Faith), within the Church and the wider community to anyone who requests this. He has also been registered for the solemnising of marriages. He continues to work with the local schools, Councillors, agencies and the wider community. He is also continuing to increase our connections with the other charities working in the Wyre Forest.
Franche Community Church’s long established Food Bank provides a unique distribution service to the community with emergency food boxes packed to meet individual and family needs, distributed only to those referred to us by the Community Housing Group; Citizens Advice; Job Centre Plus; WFDC Hub; Barnardo’s and Brookside Children’s Centres; Home Start; Onside Advocacy (and other NHS affiliates); St Basil’s Hostel; various churches and local schools, as well as other charities and community groups.
Requests by referrals for Food Bank support have grown enormously and with the help and good enterprises of local schools, churches and businesses, personal contributions and regular collections from local supermarkets, especially The Co-op and Morrisons, and working with the Kidderminster Food Bank, we have been able to sustain this work and distribute food as required, throughout the year.
Overall, we have been surprised and delighted by the increased support we have received both financially and voluntarily. However, this has placed an enormous strain on the team running the Food Bank. The Food Bank was rebranded in April and all regular staff and volunteers were issued with Wyre Forest Food Bank branded polo shirts.
This year, our regular Sunday morning worship service, has continued in the format of eating together, and creating a welcoming church family that is open to everyone. To make it all inclusive we have begun to focus on spreading the Christian message to families, young people and those who have never heard it the Christian message or even visited a church. Alongside which, we continue to meet to pray on a weekly basis for the needs of our community, the nation, and the mission of the church, by using Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp and Zoom meetings. We continually seek to encourage the learning and practice of an evangelical, charismatic, godly and Biblical lifestyle that can impact those who regularly attend, along with those who visit occasionally either online or in person.
3
Attendance in person has been slow to return to pre Covid levels but we have seen all of our members return by the end of this year, and with some new visitors we are confident of continuing growth in the new year.
We are looking to continually improve the facilities and have created a plan for the regular maintenance of the premises. During this year we have undertaken a full electrical inspection of the premises, and installed new flooring in the store room area, following on from the store room extension with a new internal wall. This has enabled us to further our vision to provide facilities for the local community in a safe and friendly environment, and also connect with the wider community through social media. We also continue to offer off-road parking in an area of Franche that is often congested.
Following some vandalism in the car park and to the premises we have arranged the installation of a new alarm system and CCTV coverage of the building to increase security. We have also been addressing items highlighted in our independent Quinquennial inspection report and seeking to build budgetary provision in for the major items and future projects.
One serious incident was reported to the Charity Commission this year involving the total loss of funds to scammers. We are very thankful for the prompt action of our Bank and their immediate return of the full amount back into our Bank account.
We have since opened new savings accounts with the Kingdom Bank to enable stronger management of the funding, with the objective of having a minimum three months reserve.
Safeguarding training has been provided by the Pioneer Network and Richard Hague, Sam Guille and Paul Guille completing the online courses. One consequence of the training has been to raise the profile of our safeguarding policy at a Trustee level and within our community as a whole, we are thankful that there have been no safeguarding incidents to report in 2022.
In light of the current undertakings of the Charity, the Trustees have begun looking at a revision of the Constitution beginning with the Objects and looking at improving the future governance of the charity. The Trustees agreed to review our Constitution and to propose changes that more accurately reflect the way that the Charity is operating, with a much more involved community focus. A proposal was emailed to the Charity Commissioners for their approval and we intend to further consider each clause of our Constitution during 2023 to reflect how we are both currently operating and with a view to the future.
Through the input of our independent Examiner, we continue to revise our methods of accounting by improving our monthly spreadsheets which has enabled the Trustees to have a more transparent view of the Charity’s finances.
The Trustees of Franche Community Church are Sam Guille, Minister; Paul Guille, Chair; Richard Hague; Jayne Maclean and John Balcon, Manager of the Food Bank.
Treasurer is Mrs Barbara Guille.
4
Our independent Examiner is Brian Richard Price
His report is attached with this report.
Franche Community Church is overseen by the National Pioneer Network of Churches.
The Church is also a member of The Evangelical Alliance.
Locally we are involved with ‘Churches Together in Kidderminster’ working with them and other ministers and churches in the Wyre Forest area to provide support to each other and in the community as our local area requires. We are also connected with the Kidderminster and Husum Twinning Association, participating in a visit from Germany in June 2022 and planning a return visit to Germany in 2023.
Signed on behalf of the Charity’s Trustees
Paul Guille
Dated
FRANCHE COMMUNITY CHURCH
Summary of Financial Activities For the Period 1st January to 31st December 2022
| Food Church Bank Total funds INCOME Planned giving 7,058 7,058 Collections and undesignated giving 3,969 3,969 Gifts to Church 3,215 3,215 Gift Aid recovered 2,453 2,453 Investments 0 0 Food Bank 86,630 86,630 Receipts from Church Hire 5,042 5,042 Total income 21,737 86,630 108,367 EXPENDITURE Missionary and Charitable giving 1,585 1,585 Clergy and Stafng costs 19,881 19,881 Church Running Expenses 23,944 23,944 Food Bank 56,493 56,493 Total expenditure 45,410 56,493 101,902 Net income/ (expenditure) resources before transfer -23,673 30,137 6,464 |
Previous Year 6,675 7,515 3,354 0 0 58,983 1,953 |
|---|---|
| 78,480 482 17,666 14,478 42,984 |
|
| 75,610 |
Statements of assets and liabilities at the end of the period
| Statements of assets and liabilities at the | end of th |
|---|---|
| Savings Account Co-operative Bank Total Current Assets |
0 47,422 |
| 47,422 |
/
Signed on behalf of Trustees
0
Paul Guille (Chairman)
CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examinerfs report on tho accounts C comm10Y CA L4Ac Iirany) Lfjty Trt) kn It 2011 +lrtl. r 145 ttlthe 2011 Ac My ttKffi, I 1495Mbl 11 thèALXC qu•lm¢•llorf•l or body 111 urfQAAIE Otr IER OEtob•r